Honors BioCELL PROCESSES RESEARCH PROJECT 100 points
Classroom Poster (multi-media) or Power Point presentation Assigned Nov. 11, 2015
This project is OPTIONAL, and due dates are firm. You may work with a partner, but understand that regardless of the division of labor, both partners get the same grade.
There are THREEPARTS to this project: (1) a multi-media poster OR Power Point presentation,
(2) an oral presentation, and (3) a printed copy of your text or slides, with bibliography in MLA format
Background: As a research scientist working for a public affairs department for the United States government, you have been asked to explore a topic of current public health interest and to explain it in a way that non-scientists can understand. Construct either a sturdy, well-organized, colorful, and informative poster that illustrates and explains this topic, or a Powerpoint presentation of at least 12 slides, not including title page or bibliography. Should have some video links.
1)Choose ONE of the topics listed below. They all deal with current research in the workings of the cell. Only one person/team per topic, so tell me your choice.
2)Use the Internet and/or print sources to research your topic. Only reputable sources are permitted -- data bases in our library, medical or scientific journals, university or research sites, medical foundations, the textbook. DO NOT use Wikipedia, about.com, or similar general information sites. Do not use blogs or opinions sites.
3)Prep work is due ONE WEEK before the project is due. Prep work includes your pictures, sources, your hardcopy research (I want to see it but will give it back to you) and a rough draft. This is meant to help planning and time-management.
4)Poster: Include two or more pictures that illustrate the topic. Enlarge the pictures to a size appropriate for a poster. Use color, or add color manually. TYPE blocks of text in a large font, appropriate for a poster. Each block has a HEADING and a brief summary (bullet points are okay). Arrange these blocks of text on your poster neatly and artistically – and securely. (see sample below) Enhance your poster artistically – craft materials, cut-and-paste, colorful construction papers, ribbons, etc.
5)Power Point: Be creative but avoid backgrounds which makes slide difficult to read. Should have a picture/illustration on each slide, make text large enough to read easily in the classroom – facts, bullet points; no long paragraphs. Include video links
6)Send me the file of your text or slides. Also send it to TURN-IT-IN: Password is biology. Class ID numbers: Period 2 – 11106236 Period 4 - 11106244
7)TYPE bibliographyin MLA format. Include a brief summary of specific information you used from each site.
Topics: (CHOOSE ONE)
A)How did life evolve?
Summarize one or two current theories that explain how life got started on earth, such as the Heterotroph Hypothesis or the ocean vent theory. How did the first “cell” form? Include Stanley Miller’s landmark experiment.
B)Helpful prokaryotes – one celled organisms
We know some bacteria can make us sick, but most of them we couldn’t live without. Describe a few specific ways they help us and the environment. Nameand picture the ones that do this.
C)Evolution of the eukaryotic cell
What is the theory of endosymbiosis? Who proposed it? What evidence supports it? Do you agree that this evidence is valid? Why or why not? Briefly describe one other current theory about how prokaryotes morphed into nucleated cells.
D)The 2015 Nobel Prizes for Medicine or Chemistry
Find out who won either of these prizes this year, for what accomplishments, and their importance to humans. Describe or explain their research and their findings.
E)Stem cells
What are they? Where can we get them besides from a doomed embryo? Describe the most recent
advances. Explain why they hold so much promise for many disorders and cite specific examples.
F)Cell surface markers and organ transplants
Identity proteins dot the surface of all cells and recognize self from non-self. How many do we need to match to avoid transplant rejection? How can we know what is on the cell surface? How effective are anti-rejection drugs? What are common side effects?
G)Lysosomal storage diseases
Tay-Sachs, Pompe’s, and ALD are just three of many diseases caused by the body’s inability to break down and metabolize one substance. What goes wrong and why? Describe ONE of these three disorders.
H)Type II diabetes
Why does insulin stop working in these patients? What happens to a cell that makes it stopresponding to insulin? How do obesity and high blood pressure increase the likelihood that this will happen? How are these conditions linked?
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I)Cell communication The 2013 Nobel prize for Physiology and Medicine went to researchers who unlocked some of the mystery of how cells in a multicellular organism communicate with each other. What did they find? How do different kinds of cells in the same tissue know what to do? For example, the pancreas produces insulin but also makes digestive enzymes.
J)Cell suicide What is it? The 2008 Nobel prize in Chemistry went to researchers who helped explain this. Tell us what they learned. Why is it important?
K)Development in a Multicellular Organism
How does a single fertilized egg become a complex organism with specialized tissues and organs? Illustrate the early stages of embryonic development from zygote to the beginnings of organ formation. Include appropriate vocabulary.